Normal commercial soaps boast that they are good for you but with all the artificial colors and fragrances can you really rely on these...

Normal commercial soaps boast that they are good for you but with all the artificial colors and fragrances can you really rely on these to keep you clean and healthy? Antimicrobial soaps contain mostly water and surfactants that create the foam that you get when you lather up and active ingredients that claim to kill bacteria.

One of two well known carcinogens, Triclosan is the commonly found ingredient in antibacterial liquid soap and triclocarban is the most common ingredient in deodorant and antibacterial soap and these two great chemicals that we are putting on our body each and every day is actually on the EPA’s list of pesticides which have similar chemical structures similar to many other hazardous agents like PCB’s and even agent orange which was used during the Vietnam war to combat the Vietcong in the jungles of Vietnam. These chemicals have also been said to cause developmental and reproductive toxicity.

These two chemicals have been linked to various health problems in the US and when you combine these chemicals with the chlorine in the water they produce dioxins, which are neurotoxins that can cause cancer, immune system disorders and even nerve disorders. These chemicals are endocrine disruptors which block thyroid hormone metabolism and attach themselves to hormone receptors to block hormones. They have also been shown to aid in antibiotic resistance in bacteria that causes infections in humans. You can easily absorb these horrible chemicals through your skin and there was one study, which found that this triclosan chemical was found in breast milk of pregnant mothers who were using antibacterial soaps and other personal care products containing this chemical.

Can you imagine what this does to newborn babies when it enters their newborn infant bodies through their mother’s milk? These two chemicals can also be found in dish detergents, antibacterial liquids including hand sanitizers and is even sprayed on all cutting boards before they go out to your local store. Remember that Triclosan and triclocarban will not degrade and will remain in the environment and waters for millions of years. The worst part about these chemicals is they are being used in soaps that are being publicized to be good for your body in getting rid of bacteria. My big question is why in the heck are these deadly chemicals being used in products being advertised to keep us clean and bacteria free? Also various studies have shown that these anti-bacterial soaps are no more efficient in keeping us bacteria free since they remain on our skin for so little time.

Everyone wants clean hands and bodies, clean homes and clean dishes but living in an environment that contains some germs is actually good for you and is what builds your immune system, now keep in mind that I am not telling you to eat off your floor or not wash your fruit before you eat it but you should be wise is choosing when to wash up so that toxic residues do not build up on your delicate skin.

There really are a lot of natural ways in which to clean your skin and there really are lots of healthy alternatives out there to choose from like soaps that contain natural and essential oils like lavender, orange essence, spearmint, vanilla, lemon, and even tea tree oil. There are also all natural goat milk soaps that are scented with essential oils. Some other healthy ingredients that you can look out for in soaps is coconut oils, cocoa butter, palm oil, olive oil and lemon grass as the latter is very astringent and does the best job on oily skin.